3d warehouse sketchup to paper model, container ship

**jleslie48** · #1 06-15-2016, 01:58 PM

The problem with 3d models online is that they don't have respect for paper modellers.

We need models with polygon counts of less than 100, and they don't think twice about thousands and thousands.

3d warehouse has a whole host of models that I'd love to make out of paper, but its a challenge to convert them to a 3d model that can be built. Here is the way I'm doing it.

first I find the model I like, open it up in sketchup and export it as a 3d .dae file that my AC3D software can read. From there I can export a .3ds file that pepakura can read, but alas unfolding a model with two many polygons yields useless results:

**jleslie48** · #2 06-15-2016, 02:03 PM

Plus you loose all the graphics. So a bit of work is necessary to get the model to a buildable model, with just enough polygons to get the shape, and still fit look right:

The flat shapes are redrawn to make the conning tower. the containers are one big rectangle box, and making the individual containers is a bit of artwork and finesse, but doable. the hull, that is a bit tricky, but by carefully breaking it apart into sections, wrapping the section, you can decompose it into building blocks. for this model I broke it up int 3 parts, bow, main section, and stern.

**jleslie48** · #3 06-15-2016, 02:05 PM

With AC3D adding the images is super easy. That's my favorite part of that 3d software. AC3D also is true polyogons and not just triangles, so when you make a multi-edged shape it unfolds quite well in pepakura. then inside pepakura you can move the pieces around reasonably well:

**Vermin_King** · #4 06-15-2016, 02:36 PM

How do you 'break apart' and 'decompose'?

**jleslie48** · #5 06-16-2016, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vermin_King

How do you 'break apart' and 'decompose'?

Yes, well, that really the meat of it isn't it. Each 3d model has to be evaluated on its own, but I'll walk you through this one. In this case, the model fortunately didn't have too many vertex's, I've seen with many, many, more, there was no reason to run the model through a "reduce vertex's" algorithm that AC3D has.
this model did however include over 500 jpg images, and that made the model take forever to load (over 5 minutes,) and that was too annoying so I ditched all the jpgs, and decided to paint it later.
So here are the steps, I took for this model:

first I took off the ground, and the images, (ss_06)
2) stripped off all the bling so I was left with just the hull, In this model, I cut and paste the model into 3 sections, bow, stern, and mid section. I wish I had a science to why I sliced it that way, On other models I've tried, I done more of a horizontal deck slices, but these 3 horizontal sections looked like it would work for this model, and it did. the thing you are looking for is sections of model that are all concave, as in no dimples, the below the water line parts of hulls will give you the most trouble for this. In this model I might of been able to get away with doing the entire hull as one shot, but since the mid section jumped out at me as almost a perfect rectangular box, I guessed that by separating that section out I'd at least have that part as a "six-side" construction. (ss_07)
3) this part is repeated for all sections, but I'll walk you through the bow. you grab all the vertex's, and then use the 'create convex surface' tool. this created a shrink wrap skin of the vetex's. This is why you don't want any concave surfaces, the create convex surface will just cocoon the dimple, and you will loose the detail. (ss_08)
4) well as you can see, the convex surface is well formed for unfolding (ss_09,ss_10)